


Out of Purgatory

by black_hat_with_bells



Category: Heroes - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-22
Updated: 2011-05-22
Packaged: 2017-10-19 16:46:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/203010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_hat_with_bells/pseuds/black_hat_with_bells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam and Claire struggle to find hope in the aftermath and Claire makes a choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of Purgatory

**Author's Note:**

> This story can be seen as a sequal to 'Something to hope for' though really, it can be read separate from that ending if you'd like.

Claire had been dodging that tiger for weeks.

Someone had had the brilliant idea to let the animals out of the zoo before everyone died of the virus. It was an idea she would have agreed with, before. Now, she was fed up and tired and not able to go the mall for supplies because there was a tiger lounging in the sun right outside the doors.

She had taken to calling him Tony. Claire had left Tony to his own devices, planning on avoiding him like the plague (which she had managed to avoid quite well). Weeks went by, and she watched old videos of her family, of her cheerleading.

It was as if it was a dream she made up in her head. It was as if no one had existed, any of these people. It felt strange. Sometimes her head did feel strange. The electricity went out for good, making her video watching form of self-torture obsolete. So, she...just kind of daydreamed and wandered around.

The inevitable finally happened. She was taking a bucket shower (the bucket being the only facet around) when she heard the door creak open. She thought she was hallucinating, but in the end, there was indeed a big Bengal tiger in the bathroom with her. It was huge, its muscles massive, and on its kitty face---it wanted to kill her.

Claire slowly lowered the bucket and stepped back from the glass, and it put its paw against the glass door. Then its other paw. It stretched against it, and the door creaked. Claire sat down, moved against the corner, and curled up into a ball. She tried not to give off 'fear': and the big cat scratched at the door a minute longer, before giving up. It curled up at the threshold between the bathroom and the bedroom. She saw its tail.

Its tail.

This was an incredible nightmare. It was just like...walking through fire, though. (not really, but what else did she have?) She was almost too numb to care, except that her hands shook. The tiger would have to leave, get up to get a drink of water. It'd starve before she would. That's a plus. So, it'd leave and she'd get her father's gun from now on. Except Claire wondered if the handgun would do much against a tiger.

She waited. As did the tiger. Two days. Her hair curled around her face.

It was night, the room pitch dark and quiet except for the tiger's heavy breathing. She was drifting in and out.

"Claire!"

She recognized the voice. The tiger bolted upright.

"I know it's early, but I wanted to check on you. Still giving me the silent treatment?"

"Adam," she tried to say but her voice was messed up from not speaking so long. So she croaked and wasn't heard. The tiger disappeared from the threshhold. She opened the door quickly and grabbed a towel, hobbling to the dresser drawer.

"I hear you up there, I see you've come around--GOOD GOD!"

The tiger roared, and the windows rattled. She hurried to the balcony and saw the tiger on him. Granted, Adam had caused this nightmare for her. Had as good as murdered those she had loved. Convinced her to give birth and...well, that worked out for her to have another hole inside of her, one that could hardly be filled. Never would be.

But she aimed the gun and fired.

The tiger fled at the noise, still trained and cowed. But not for too much longer. Adam stared up at her, his throat torn and his shoulder broken. Along with a bullet hole in his chest. She sighed and hurried down the stairs.

"You missed," he muttered, once he got his throat back.

"No, I didn't."

"So glad you shot me rather than the tiger."

"What, and waste my alarm system?"

His eyes widened. "Kidding," she said, and offered him her hand. He hesitated and then let her help him up. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropping in. You obviously needed my assistence." He took his hand away quickly, and she realized she was still in a towel.

"Give me a minute," Claire said, and it was strange, because his hand on hers was jolting. She should send him away. But Adam looked....terrible. His eyes weren't right. They were too bright. He was unshaven and his clothes, so neat and together before, were in disarray.

"Then we can talk," she finished, going upstairs. Actually looking into the mirror was a surreal experience. She grabbed a shirt and tried to focus on what would look okay. Just for the sake of looking okay.

She returned to see Adam had lit some candles, placing them around the kitchen.

"So? Why are you here?" Claire asked again.

"Do I need a reason in this circumstance?"

"Yes."

"I was thinking of going overseas. To see if there's any sign of life there."

Claire smirked. "There are plenty of signs of life around."

"You know what I mean. I was going to ask if you would like to accompany me."

She went up to him, touched his face. The hell of it was that he still felt good to her touch. He tried to keep himself composed. "How long has it been since you shaved?"

"Doesn't matter. What is your answer?"

"You can stay here a day or so. Then bon voyage, Adam, hope you make it," she said, and he grabbed her wrist tightly. She felt a tinge of fear, and reading it in her face, he let go of her hand.

"Aren't women bad luck to have on a ship?"

She was baiting him to say something purely nasty but to her surprise, he relented. "Please change your mind," he said, in a quieter voice . "It's dangerous to remain separate. We're better together."

Claire paused. "The boat you picked out...does it need more than one person to operate it?"

She read something in his face. "Oh good. Good to know that even in the apocalypse, you can't just come out and say what you want-."

"I won't beg," he said, eyes flashing. She was reminded of herself in an odd way.

"Really," she said, and kicked his chair. A muscle jumped in his jaw. She sat beside him, and his warmth was disconcerting. She remembered being with him, and... "I don't want anything you could give even if it's humiliation. So, I won't make you beg, but there's one condition."

"Name your price," he dared.

"You shave. And then I'll go with you."

Adam jerked his head up.

"You will go," he said, sounding surprised. Almost disappointed. Perhaps going out on the deep blue sea wasn't his impression of a good idea. Maybe the idea had been driving him crazy, and he needed her to blame for not going. He seemed to like to blame other people, and she was the only one left to blame. Therefore, Claire got a vindictive charge at the whole situation.

"After you shave," she repeated.

Adam frowned at her. "I don't see the point."

Something twinged in her heart. She hated him for it. But it was still there. She touched his hand and pulled him to his feet. "That's my condition. Take it or leave it."

He scoffed, smiling slightly. "All right. Agreed."

Only: not quite. She made up a bed for him, and then found him frozen in front of the mirror, with a razor in his hand, blood on it, but amazingly--he was still unshaven. His hand was just by his side, and he was staring into the mirror, too, as if it was possessed.

Claire felt like being cruel. She felt like stabbing him with 'how can you sell a boat when you're like this? Forget I agreed.' If he had to force her, then maybe he'd hate himself for real, and that was all good for Claire. She could hold a grudge into the next millenia, and she was so near doing so. But he would do that. Instead, she stepped forward and took the razor from him. He tilted his neck a little upward, as if in offering.

She took his chin in her hand and guided his face back down. "No. I remember when my mom got this carpet at Target, okay. You're not going to bleed on it."

"Well, Target. That changes everything," he said, cruelly, and she slapped him. It was a reflex, a reaction, and she knew that was what he wanted. She, on the other hand, wanted his remorse, but even if he did have some true remorse, she didn't want to accept it. She was torn in two, and she wanted to break him and help him. This son of a bitch, right here. This...

"I thought I felt something, there," he said lightly. She pushed him towards the bathrub and made him sit on the edge. She grabbed her father's (dead father's) shaving cream. She wasn't going to be a violent freak. Even though her whole body wanted to be, she wasn't going to be a vengeful. freak.

"You know," Adam said, rubbing his bloodied shirt between his fingers. "It's odd. I'm immortal, and the world is immortal. That's why I cared so much about the greater scheme because if there was anything that would last as long as myself, it was the community, the generations, the legacy of it all."

Cared, Claire thought. He was going to tell her all about his action as he truly saw it.

"That, was important," he continued. "Yet the world still tries to attack me, even though technically it should be impossible. Didn't you feel the same? Always the focus of an assault, a betrayal, a threat of imprisonment, of exile because of what you are, what you meant?"

This wasn't wrong. In fact, it was exactly how Claire had felt. Only to attack the world first, was...she thought about the time she wanted to expose them all. Because of how attacking it was upon her. She wanted to do it for good, for faith in people's humanity, in her own. To break the cycle that was so obvious to her. Except it might not have gone over as well as she thought (knew) it would. She'd think about that for real after the fact.

She shook off the similarity.

"Don't tell me now, that instead of all your grand ideals, that it was an act of self-preservation. That you had no choice," Claire said. "I don't want to hear it, Adam."

She walled off a sob, walled off her tears.

"You can't say it wasn't a fact. They even come out of time to get you," Adam said. He was staring into space again, and he was really bad off. Damn him.

"What have you done to yourself?" she asked sadly. Because she had thought before he had done it to her--now, she thought differently, knew differently because this kind of destruction she knew a little bit about.

He looked down, clearly affected by her question. Claire relented. "Just stay still."

"If things had worked out better, I would have seen to it that you were safe. Taken care of."

It took all her will power not to be...a monster about it. Because she sensed he was telling the truth, and how dare he do that? He wanted some acknowledgement for his words, it was tipping the scale, hanging in the air, and she gave it.

"I know, but I wouldn't have accepted it then either," she said. He thought about it and seemed to agree. She went to work, lathering his face and being careful not to cut him even if it didn't matter. These things should matter. He didn't flinch away from her and remained steady. She took the damp cloth and finished up, thinking how human he did feel. She felt human too. Despite what she was.

"There," Claire said, and she didn't feel his hand against the small of her back, his arm around her, until she went to move away again. He let her go. "I'm..." she began, because really. No.

"I know," he echoed. "Best to get some sleep for tomorrow."

She left him there, going to her room. She didn't lock the door but she didn't fear that from him. Not yet. If he did, let him hate himself. She wasn't going to kill him because that was too good for him. So she told herself and so she went with it, trying to fall asleep.

She refused to acknowledge how the house felt different with another living person in it. The thought nagged at her, and that fear didn't quite abate. So, she did what she always did when she was afraid. Went to face it.

Claire walked into the guest room and slid in beside him. He stiffened but didn't move, not daring to do a thing. He was shaking with the need, but didn't want to lose control. She didn't know what she wanted, but being in danger made her most comfortable now. Made their stakes to lose.

She closed her eyes, and this time, was able to fall asleep.

***

The roads were even wilder and more unyielding.

Adam had to fight to keep the van on the road. Claire looked out into a world completely uninhabited, and yes, she'd agree with Adam in this case. It looked as if it was out to kill them both, as it had started to rain heavily. In terms of grayout on a massive scale.

"Maybe we should pull over," Claire said.

"It won't hurt us, dear," Adam said, and sped up.

"God, I don't know why I don't shoot you in the face with a bazooka or something, and get this all over with. Because I really want to shoot you in the face. With a bazooka, though I'd settle for an elephant gun."

"You want to keep me alive as punishment but it's also in order to ensure that you don't have to die," Adam said, smiling this shark's smile at her. "You have just as much a will to survive as I do." With this statement, he thought he really cut her to the quick.

"Duh," Claire replied, and his smile vanished. "That's not telling me something I don't know."

"Infuriating girl," Adam muttered. The rain was pounding on the hood now, violent and direct. Claire squinted out to try and see when she heard a sound.

"Oh my god," she said, ice filling her veins. "Stop the car. There's a tornado coming."

Adam tilted his head. "....what makes you think that?"

"It sounds like a train, that's what they were supposed to sound like!" Claire argued. "We need to find some place to get some cover, get save."

"I think not."

"Fine," Claire said and opened the door, letting herself fall out. He stopped the car. She looked around in the rain and saw a small bridge in the distance. She could run and make it. Adam had stopped the car completely. "Come on," she said, running to his door. "I have no desire to see if I can survive flying in the air for an hour or something with a cow nearby as company."

"I do want to find out," Adam said, making himself comfortable in his seat.

She stared at him, and then grabbed hold of the door. "Then I'll find out with you what it feels like to be thrown around in the air."

His eyes flickered, and after a minute of hesitation, he opened the door and followed her towards the bridge. It was difficult to even reach it, with the rain and the wind pushing against them. She heard that sound again, and knew there was something coming their way. They settled underneath it, watching the van shift and move.

"Glad there's not traffic impeding us," he said, meeting her eyes. And it clicked for her, what he was trying to do: what he was just doing. She understood, on some level, and she took his hand in hers. He looked away.

But he didn't let go of her hand. The touch was too consuming.

***

A month later, they had made it back to New York.

Claire spent her time near the bay, looking out at the Statue of Liberty. She even found some coins so she could look out at the statue through the magnifying lens. On her way back, she passed by the Petrelli mansion, making her peace with everything as much as she could. Adam was at the habor, very excited about his boat.

Extremely excited about this boat. He waved to her when he caught sight of her on the dock, and despite herself, Claire waved back.

"I was about the christen the voyage!" he called. "You're just in time. Let's get you up here!"

She wanted to get up that ladder herself but he took her hand and pulled her up. One thing she had noticed was that he was disarmingly strong. She wondered if it had something to do with the ability: as if years and years of physical exertion could make you stronger in your muscles than you appear. Needless to say, he was strong.

"Everything's ready?" she asked.

"Absolutely. Except for the name of this vessel. I was going to let you do the honor."

Claire blinked, and looked around at the boat. This boat was pretty small. She was already having mental flashbacks for the Perfect Storm tidal wave scene.

"All the names of people I knew sound pretty stupid on a boat."

"Just pick one," he said.

Claire thought about it. She wasn't going to name a parent after a boat that would sink. Titanic was too smartass at the moment. It was going down though. She threw up her hands into the air. "Sylar." Let Sylar sink to the dark depths then.

"I. beg your pardon?"

"You didn't say you'd ask about my choice," Claire said. "That's my choice."

"Damn. Very well." He picked up a wine bottle and broke it on the railing. Apparently Adam could be whimisical when he wanted to be.

"We do have enough...fuel, right?" she asked, pressing.

"Of course. Now, make yourself comfortable."

He got the boat running all by himself, and clearly did not need another person here. Claire made her peace with this, too, thinking if there wasn't someone alive in Europe than this was practical and worth it.

***

It was not practical, and not worth it.

Guess what. Rain. Storms. Astronaut food. Yes, astronaut food. Claire couldn't believe this one, but instead of gathering real food for their voyage--Adam had somehow raided a facility to get his hands on astronaut food. Claire was just so...mad about the astronaut food she could barely speak. Starving to death didn't bother her.

It was the taste. Adam smirked his face off, so he had done it on purpose. Claire kept to herself, as much as she could on a boat. That proved to be a mistake.

She laid there, numb and gone, and hoping there would be land soon.

"Are you really sea sick?" Adam asked for the thousandth time.

"Yes," Claire groaned with the pillow over her face. "I am. Because my power sucks."

"Your power sucks, mine doesn't."

"It's the same one!"

"Then that implies the fault lies with you, specifically."

"Go sail the boat, Captain," she said, and was going to wait patiently. She woke up to the whole boat being tossed about. She hurried up to the cabin, hoping for some answers.

"Congratulations, Claire, I've just made you Captain," was the first thing he said.

"Why?"

"Because the ship is about to go down."

"Calm down," Claire said, looking out at the waves that were...very frightening. Huge and big and threatening to sink them. "Is there anything we can do to fix this situation?"

"The rutter is jammed, but I know there's an emergency-."

"Then why are you still here? I can take the wheel."

"It's outside!"

She stared at him, and he groaned, letting her take his place there. "If I go overboard, I won't rest until I find you and beat you with a shovel."

"You won't beat me with a shovel," Claire answered. He moved--she grabbed his arm. "Just be careful, okay."

He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. She saw his outline briefly through the windows. She looked down, trying to figure out how to keep this afloat, and then she looked up and he was gone.

Claire stood there in shock for a few moments, wondering to herself, "Did he really just go overboard?" She sprang into action, panicking, and she abandoned her post, rushing through the door and onto the deck. "Adam!"

He went overboard, he was going to float with the sharks for years. Granted, deserved, but it was just as much a fact that she couldn't let him go.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" She looked up to see him on top of the cabin, a confused expression on his face. She was about to scream at him, when the boat tilted, a wave came, and it swept her over before she could get out the words. Her mind spun in horror and shock. One moment, she was on the deck, the next, water was over her head and she was breathing salt. The ocean was dark, and she was more than dead, worse than dead.

She was about to resign herself to this because who cares, the world is gone. Who--

Something hit the water besides her, and she couldn't believe it.

It was him, with a life-saver (ironically) in his hand and she laughed through choking. He was very strong when he wanted to be. He grabbed her up, and pulled them both up. Oh why did he do this?

He rushed her down to the cabin, placing her on the bed.

"You're all right," he said, and she moved away. She still had feelings for him. Those, couldn't be killed and packed away. It was painful, but it was true. She didn't know what that said about her, but she couldn't not care about him, thinking he was drowning out there forever.

For all he was, she couldn't fight against it anymore. He was Adam. That was all.

"Yeah. You should--the boat."

"Let it ride it out. It will now."

He studied her, afraid. He grabbed her hand, and she wanted to twist away.

"I'm, I was mistaken in my actions. I...I was wrong."

Claire nodded, sighing with relief that he finally said it.

"I really am-."

"Don't apologize for it," she said. "You don't have to again."

"...I wish you weren't suffering for the loss of your family at my hand, thinking you couldn't save them. It goes away, you know, the pain. It fades."

She closed her eyes. "Yes, Adam. That's what I'm afraid of."

He grimaced, and she was sorry for it. Hated being sorry but she was. "I guess it doesn't matter as much now."

"Good, because I lied. It never goes away, not really."

"Thanks for lying about that," Claire said, meaning it. "And telling me the truth."

How he looked at her...made her feel alive, even in this place. How he made her feel made her afraid but the worst had happened. He was about to say more but she cut him off with a kiss, sealing the past behind them. Behind her, it had no more power here, over her.

Over the both, hopefully.

The touch, the feel of it, was a current, and she pulled him on top of her, wanting to connect. They were both soaked and broken down. She wanted to heal, piece herself together even if she was a different girl now.

"Are you...are we," His eyes searched her face, with desperation. He was Adam, she thought again, and she wanted to take all of him, no matter how deep it went.

How in four hundred years, she might have been the same if she had been so alone.

She was going to face all of him if she wanted to survive having been broken so desparately badly.

She kissed him again, the wanting turning into need. She could see the need in his eyes (need for her), and it made the world mean something.

They were on a knife's edge, but the boat remained upright.

***

There was no one there. Anywhere.

Now, Claire didn't know what she was going to do to see people. She didn't know if she could deal with it. She had already made the decision not to tell them about Adam, if any people remained. What was there to gain by that? And she didn't want to lose him, to anyone else. Telling would just give too much away.

They helped each other walk up the hill in the harbor that they had found, and Claire knew it was a bad sign by the way the flag wasn't changed. She saw just the remains on the ground. Off everyone. No one had buried them.

"They were lazy. I'll have to correct that," Adam said. Claire knew this was a mistake. There was no hope here, and Adam always had the future to balance him in some way. Something he was chasing. She followed him through the buildings.

In the middle of the plaza.

He stood there, at a loss.

"We have all of Europe to search," Claire offered.

"I know what we'll find," Adam said, and his tone scared her. He walked away, disappearing among the (ruins), and Claire hesitated before following him. She found him in the top room, looking over the city. He held out his hand and she took it.

She could see the steps he took to get here, and she found her judgment failing on that principle. She didn't want to think about what it meant.

 

***

Claire didn't have a chance to see the time-traveler coming.

That was kind of the point of a time-traveler. One minute, she was finding some kind of flowers to brighten their room, planning on taking him out to a club later, and then she was standing in front of noise, and life, and Peter.

Peter.

"Claire," he said, and he was real. Beyond a doubt. She did the only thing to save her mind from the overload. She fainted.

***

"So, you knew for months," Claire said, holding the coffee cup as if it would center her.

"I had dreams," Peter said softly. "We were trying to figure out how to approach it, but I knew I couldn't have you suffer in that world."

"There's a Claire here, isn't there?" she asked, and Peter looked away, crossed his arms.

"I couldn't stand for any version to be stuck there. We needed to get the healing blood from ...the Claire here to be fused completely into Hiro's blood so he could make the journey. It was tough getting that to work after first."

Hiro stood in silence, watching her.

"Where is he?" Claire asked, knowing what was in her mind.

Peter looked at Hiro quickly.

"In every future that Kensei is in, the world ends. In some way, some form," Hiro said. "We could not bring him here."

Claire froze. "Oh come on. He wouldn't try anything now. Not after that. Even I know that much now."

"His fate's inevitable. I am sorry."

"No, you're not," Claire said, standing up. She held this cup like a bomb now. She walked towards Peter and touched his arm "I mourned you for a year. Did you know that, while you were deciding?"

"I knew I could save you, though, Claire."

She saw him clearly in her mind, waking up now, and going to search for her. He deserved it. The relief to be around people was almost painful, and she releashed the feeling, wanted to go talk to a thousand people. Yet with Adam, things were deep, even if it was tinged with darkness now. She could see his eyes in her head, how he really was. Letting him go...

She couldn't do it to him.

She couldn't lose anyone else she cared about.

"Take me back," Claire said, making her decision.

"What?" Peter gasped.

"I'm not here without him. We're either both out, or neither of us are."

"It's quite impossible," Hiro said.

"You could put us in the past," she said. "Again and again, just keep us away from technology then! You can do it."

"What about your family?" Peter pressed.

"I mourned them too. You were all dead," she said. "You were all...and I'm not the same. It would just hurt them."

"I don't see how that can be done," Hiro said.

She stepped back, and broke the cup. Using a shard, she kept her wound covered but threateningly open. "The virus is probably in my blood right now: you didn't give me time for it to leave. So. Take me back."

Neither one of them thought of that. Peter looked at her in shock and horror at the threat, like she wasn't his Claire at all.

And she was back in an instant.

She choked back a sob, and had to sit down, curl up for a moment. She kept her hand on the warm ground, using it for an anchor.

Night fell, and she heard his footsteps. "Claire..."

"I'm okay," she said. "I'm fine."

The enormity of it all was too much to put into words. Ever.

"Something happened." He stood over her, and she got to her feet. Looked into his face.

"It's not important," she said, smiling. Forcing a smile. "I was just tired. I wanted us to explore this place a little more, though. So, we should get on that."

She took his hand in his.

***

She found Hiro in the room with Adam a month later (or so she assumed).

They were speaking in a hushed voice, and Claire had entered without knocking, worried that Adam was ill again. But there was Hiro, and she took a step back.

"It's all right. He was just about to leave us," Adam said, avoiding looking at Hiro. Hiro flashed away, and she walked towards him, cautious.

It was too cruel to tell him what she had ripped away from her so she hoped he didn't...but he did know. He was quiet, wondering and calculating. Knowing her too well now to be fooled.

She felt helpless, vulnerable now.

"I didn't want that burden on you," Claire began, diverting. How could she say that it didn't feel right without him, that she felt like a half of her had gone away? Now that she knew him, she couldn't leave him like that. "I'm sorry I lied but I couldn't...I couldn't lay that on your shoulders too."

"You remained here, you made that choice," he said in a hushed tone, his eyes in awe and half fear. Why did you do that, he seemed to say, and the hurt was there. The impossibility of it. Unacceptable, after all that had happened. She thought she saw his eyes glisten with restrained emotion.

There was nothing he could do to fix what had happened, and they both knew it.

She swallowed hard, and he didn't know what to do with the enormity of it either. He stood and came towards her, wrapping her in his arms.

"You've gotten us out," he said, and that was...she felt like they could move on. "I hope you don't mind the era he's going to chose for us. It was a violent one. But first they have to kill us to make sure the virus is gone."

Then they were separated again by Hiro.

Sometime between a year and month, Claire waited in the middle of nowhere, alone, to get the virus out of her system.

Hiro appeared before her. "You are very brave."

She didn't want anything from him. "Take me to him."

***

Claire met him in the field. There were lights and dancing in the distance, but all she could see for the moment was him.

They looked at each other, in shock. There was air and life and it was overwhelming...something snapped, some internal tension, and she almost dropped again. He struggled to catch her, and they fell down together in a heap.

Somehow they started to laugh. The feelings inside of her made her want to burst.

"I can't believe it's not a dream," he said.

"I don't care what it is, I'm glad you're here," she said, unwilling to let go of him quite yet. He got the meaning.

They laid there together for once at peace with the world.

And with each other.


End file.
